SUNY Potsdam Breaks Ground on New WISER Greenhouse Facility

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From left, Potsdam College Foundation President Lynne Boles ’74, Wendy Wagner, Robert Wagner ’75 and SUNY Potsdam President Kristin G. Esterberg break ground on the new WISER Greenhouse.

• The Wagners share a laugh as they “dig in” to commence work on the new Wagner Institute for Sustainability and Ecological Research Greenhouse, surrounded by SUNY Potsdam faculty and staff.
• Lead donors Robert Wagner ’75 (right) and his wife Wendy speak at the groundbreaking of the new WISER Greenhouse at SUNY Potsdam, next to the College’s old greenhouse.

POTSDAM, NY (10/02/2015)(readMedia)-- Despite a brisk wind and crisp fall temperatures, the groundbreaking ceremony for SUNY Potsdam's new state-of-the-art greenhouse was filled with warmth and excitement this afternoon.

The College marked the beginning of construction for the new Wagner Institute for Sustainability and Ecological Research Greenhouse in a ceremony on Friday, Oct. 2. Students, faculty, staff and members of the Potsdam College Foundation board of trustees were on hand to witness the occasion.

The lead donors, Robert Wagner '75 and his wife Wendy, were in attendance and joked that they had never been thanked so many times in their lives.

"Today is a wonderful day for my wife and I to present this gift to the College. Today, we break ground to start the construction process for a 2,400-square-foot greenhouse that will be connected to the south side of Stowell Hall, with a completion date of April 2016," Wagner said. "I'm told that there is a pretty big birthday party that's going to happen in 2016. As luck would have it, the new greenhouse will be dedicated on Potsdam's 200th anniversary."

The fully donor-funded WISER Greenhouse at SUNY Potsdam will provide the campus with a research-grade facility with four growing zones.

"This new greenhouse will provide our campus with a focal point for initiative that build a greener campus and community," President Kristin G. Esterberg said. "WISER programs will support creative scientific research and learning opportunities around sustainability and ecology. So, after several years of planning, we are excited for construction to commence."

Additional gifts in support of the greenhouse construction were received from Frederic Pratt '75 and Jana Pratt '76. In addition, the Alcoa Foundation has awarded grant funding to support Wagner Institute programs that will take place in the new facility.

"To Bob and Wendy: Thank you for your vision, your dedication and most importantly, your generosity, which has made what was once an idea, a dream, a reality," said Lynne Boles '74, president of the Potsdam College Foundation Board of Trustees. "Because of you, our students will have a state-of-the-art space to engage in experiential learning and participate in hands-on research that would not have otherwise been possible."

Along with the new greenhouse space, WISER will allow students to engage in experiential learning in classes and programs, investigating issues of climate change, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. Through the new institute, biology faculty and students have spearheaded a campuswide Healthy Plant Initiative, and are also working on educational outreach regarding sustainability practice in the North Country, urban farming research and much more.

Biology and environmental studies major Michal Weaver '16, who served as the very first WISER intern last semester, also spoke at the ceremony, along with Department of Biology chair Dr. Glenn Johnson and faculty member Dr. Robert Ewy.

"This gift will open a whole new set of possibilities, allowing more students the opportunity that I had, to learn about horticulture, botany and ecology in a hands-on setting," Weaver said. "I am very excited to see what kinds of programs future interns will be able to launch in the new greenhouse, a facility that will truly meet the growing need to educate people about issues like climate change, sustainability and ecological conservation."

Construction of the greenhouse will soon begin, with a projected completion date of April 2016. Continental Construction of Gouverneur, N.Y., will be the general contractor for the project.

Along with the new greenhouse space, WISER will allow students to engage in experiential learning in classes and programs, investigating issues of climate change, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/AAS/biology/wiser.

The groundbreaking ceremony was the culmination of a day-long event to recognize the importance of philanthropic giving to the College. During SUNY Potsdam's first Thank A Giver Day, the campus was covered in tags marking facilities, items, scholarships and programs that were made possible by donor support.

For more information about Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, visit www.potsdam.edu/campaign.

Founded in 1816, and located on the outskirts of the beautiful Adirondack Park, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America's first 50 colleges. SUNY Potsdam currently enrolls approximately 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its handcrafted education, challenging liberal arts and sciences core, excellence in teacher training and leadership in the performing and visual arts. Empowered by a culture of creativity, the campus community recently launched Take the Lead: The Campaign for Potsdam, which aims to raise $32 million by the College's bicentennial in 2016.

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